A Lesson
by Winter
Summary: There is always some one better. My first story featuring myself. Should have changed this yesterday. But anyway, chapter three up and all becomes clear.
1. Prologue

A Lesson  
  
The Star Fox characters are not owned by me, but are in fact the property of Shigero Myamoto or   
somebody else at Nintendo. Edward "winter" Weldon is not copyrighted to me, BECAUSE HE IS ME.   
But any of my characters that may appear in this story are mine. AND I SHALL STRIKE DOWN   
UPON THEE WITH GREAT VENGANCE AND FURIOUS ANGER, THOSE WHO STEAL AND   
CORRUPT MY CHARICTERS WITH OUT MY PERMISSION. A YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM   
WINTER, WHEN I LAY MY WRATH UPON THEE.  
  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Cry woe, destruction, ruin and decay. The worst is death and death shall have his day- Richard the   
third, William Shakespeare  
  
  
  
The steaming Zonessian jungle was alive with sounds. Insects chirped, animals   
howled and a predator stalked through the shadows. He was slim, solidly built but still   
lithe and agile. The thermoptic stealth suit he wore blended with the green forest all   
around him, constantly shifting colour and pattern like a chameleon to match   
perfectly.  
  
To look at him, you would not be able to decide if he was a well-muscled arctic fox or   
a very lean timber wolf. The truth was that he was both and neither. He was a hybrid,   
half fox and half wolf. In the tight fitting armoured stealth suit, only his bright blue   
eyes were visible through the visor of his helmet, lest his silvery grey fur should give   
away his position.   
  
Held loosely in his paws was a long-rifle, designed to double up as both an assault   
rifle and a sniper weapon. Strapped to his right thigh, he wore a silenced laser pistol   
and on his back was a pair of sheathed, light broad swords. The swords shining gold   
hilts were covered up to prevent the sunlight reflecting off them.   
  
Moving quickly and silently through the undergrowth, he made his way towards his   
objective: The Cornerian commander's central command post. His primary mission   
objective was just to knock out the command post. The commander himself was   
secondary. All the same, it was unlikely that the feral canine would let him go that   
easily.   
  
Suddenly a sound drew his attention. Stopping dead in his tracks and dropping down   
low, he held his breath for a long minute, just listening and trying to draw a bead on   
the noise. He was sure that it wasn't just another Whistling Jimmyjax, there was   
somebody else in the vicinity. A branch cracked some distance off. He had his target.  
  
Keeping low, he stalked towards the source of the disturbances, flicking off the safety   
on his long-rifle. The rifle made a short rising hum as it's firing chamber charged.   
Crouched in amongst a pile of boulders and some thick bushes, he peered into a   
clearing.  
  
In the clearing he could make out a group of four furs in body armour, all armed with   
assault rifles. The one on point was a female fennec fox with sandy yellow fur, wide   
ears and deep brown eyes. Peering through the scope on his rifle he could make out   
the nameplate on her armour, F Phoenix.  
  
A few meters behind the vixen walked a male red fox with a white muzzle and a white   
stripe running up his head. The markings on his armour showed that he was a squad   
leader.   
  
The next in the line-up was a grey-furred husky, a little bigger than the fox and   
definitely more serious looking. He seemed more on edge than the fox and that made   
him more of a threat.   
  
Finally, at the back of the fire-team, a rather pasty looking frog hauled the team's   
com-unit along on his back. From his posture it was clear that he had been selected on   
technical expertise rather than physical ability. There for he was less of a threat, but   
should be taken out quickly none the less to avoid the possibility of them calling in   
reinforcements.  
  
Already a plan was forming in the half-wolf sniper's mind as he shifted position and   
stealthily made his way closer to unsuspecting Fox McCloud, Fara Phoenix, Bill Grey   
and Slippy Toad…   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Thermoptic Shadows

Chapter-1  
  
Fox was hot, sweaty and thirsty. He hated the jungle and asked himself for the   
thousandth time, why couldn't he have been put on air support? It was what he was   
good at, so why wasn't it what he was assigned?  
  
None the less, he had a job to do and by god he was going to do it. Despite the heat,   
he some how managed to stay calm and alert. He had Fara on point, because her sense   
of smell was sharper than his. In theory at least that would provide them with some   
early warning of an ambush. In contrast to Fox's discomfort, Fara seemed to be in her   
element out here.   
  
Fara had always been the out-doorsy type. She was always the kind who would go   
adventuring out in the woods or camping out with friends. Suffice it to say that,   
finding other female friends who were into camping was a little tricky. That was how   
she had met Fox and Bill when they were children.   
  
Bill was also the out-doorsy type, but he seemed way too on-edge to enjoy himself.   
He had a constant grimace of concentration on his face, glancing around all the time.   
Fox could appreciate wanting to keep one's self on their toes, but if Bill didn't mellow   
out a little, he might as well join Cornerian state ballet company.   
  
Fox smiled at the thought of Bill in a tutu and prancing around like a lunatic. As much   
as Fox disliked it out here, he had to wonder how Slippy was coping. When he had   
drawn up this team, Fox had believed that they were still going to be assigned to air   
support and so chose Slippy to provide electronic warfare cover.   
  
But as it was, they had been assigned to Special Forces and were presently trudging   
through the jungle on a recon sweep ahead of the main platoon's advance. He liked   
Slippy, but he was a little too "chipper" and energetic for his own good. His almost   
total inability to stay quiet made him a liability in this situation. Fox thanked God for   
the heavy com-unit that Slippy was carrying to keep from hopping all over the place,   
like a hyperactive ping-pong ball.   
  
Coming to a small clearing, Fox raised his hand and signalled a halt. After slogging   
though the tangled forest for what seemed like an eternity, He reckoned they had   
earned a break.  
  
"Okay, every body take a knee. We got fifteen before we finish our sweep," He said   
sinking down to his haunches and taking a swig form his canteen. With a sigh of   
relief, Slippy swung the heavy com-link pack off of his back and sat down with his   
back to a tree.   
  
Bill on the other hand stayed standing, his gaze scanning across the jungle as if he   
wanted to be ambushed, just so that he could get it over and done with. "We shouldn't   
be stopped here, it's too exposed," Bill said, his thumb hovering over the safety catch   
on his rifle.   
  
Fox thought about it for a moment. Bill did have a point. The Clearing was pretty   
exposed. Turning to Fara he said, "You getting anything?" Fara sniffed the air a   
couple of times and replied, "Well apart from, mud, trees and Bill's socks, nothing."  
  
"Hmmm, well we should probably be sure. Slippy, see if you can find a better   
position on the map," He said, but Slippy didn't reply. Turning round, Fox swept his   
gaze around the whole clearing. Slippy had apparently vanished.   
  
"Where did he go to?" Fox said to himself out loud. Slippy's rifle and backpack were   
still lying by the tree that he had been sitting against. "He's probably chasing bugs   
again," Fara said, rather despairingly. "Yeah, well we better go find him. Spread out,   
standard search pattern, fifty yards each," Fox ordered, picking up his rifle and   
strapping on his helmet. Bill and Fara nodded and each took a compass point.   
  
Maybe if he'd been a little more observant, Fox might have noticed the glint of light   
on a riflescope. Hidden in amongst the dense undergrowth, the canine sniper watched   
the three of them intently as they split up to search for the unconscious frog lying at   
his feet. Slippy had been picked off easily enough. The others would not be so simple   
to deal with. Choosing his next target, he melted away into jungle's fading light.  
  
  
Bill was even more on edge now. The jungle all around him was a far cry from the   
wide-open planes of Corneria or the rolling steppes of Katina where he grew up.   
When you were a pilot you could see your enemy coming. But here in the deep forest,   
he couldn't see for more than ten feet ahead of him and that made him nervous, if not   
positively claustrophobic.   
  
"When I find that slimy little twerp, I am going to kick his ass so hard…" He   
grumbled, gritting his teeth. A loud screeching sound behind him made him whirl   
round, gun raised and his pores pumping neat adrenaline. Sat on a log, was the biggest   
damn bug that Bill had ever seen. It shook its large multi-coloured wings and   
screeched at him periodically.   
  
Bill exhaled a big breath that he didn't even know he was holding and said, "Jeez,   
Fox is right. I really should calm down before I have a heart attack." Lowering his   
rifle, he slowly turned to return to his search grid. A moment later, the jungle came   
alive. Something that seemed to blur with the surrounding greenery, flashed out in   
front of him for a second, then everything went black.  
  
  
Fara made her way deftly through the dense trees. Her small size made her perfect for   
this kind of terrain. But all the same, finding Slippy was not going to all that easy.   
"Green frog, green uniform, green jungle. Why does every thing have to be green?"   
She muttered to herself, frustrated at having to be chasing after one little frog.  
  
Through the chattering of the forest, Fara could hear the sound of running water   
nearby. As an amphibian, Slippy was naturally drawn towards water, so she headed   
towards the sound in hopes of finding him.   
  
Up ahead she found a fast flowing stream, but no Slippy. The stream was maybe ankle   
deep, but still pretty wide. The water was clear and glassy looking, so Fara decided to   
refill her canteen and take a breather for a few moments. Crouching down and setting   
her rifle to one side, she cupped some water in her hands and splashed it over her face.   
The water was as cool and refreshing as it looked, with sparkling sunlight playing   
across the surface and the trees all around reflected in it.  
  
Dipping in her hands to splash some more water on her face, she noticed something   
reflected in the water's surface. There was something moving behind her, but she   
couldn't make out a shape. There was defiantly some thing there but none of the trees   
were moving. She then slowly reached for her rifle, laying her hand carefully over the   
handgrip and flicking off the safety. She then suddenly spun round, rifle raised as the   
firing chamber charged with the familiar rising hum and found herself faced   
with…nothing.   
  
The clearing was completely empty, but she still kept the rifle raised and scanned   
about the area. She definitely saw something move, she was sure of it. Backing away   
cautiously, she moved towards a large rock where she could take cover if who ever it   
was decided to make their move.  
  
In a blur of motion, something exploded out of the shadows and knocked the rifle out   
of Fara's hands, kicking her in the back of the knee and throwing her to the ground.  
  
What ever it was, it moved with blinding speed. She still couldn't make out its exact   
shape, but she could see it moving. Lashing out with one foot, she hit it low, throwing   
it off balance. She then sprang up and hit it again with a front kick that knocked it   
over into the stream. Hitting the water, Fara could finally make out a shape as her   
attacker's thermoptic camouflage malfunctioned, trying desperately to hide itself   
against water.   
  
The suit went a whole series of scrambled colours, before just shutting down and   
turning to its default black. The figure stood up and charged, launching himself at   
Fara with a powerful side kick and following up with the other leg in a roundhouse   
kick aimed at her head.  
  
Fara blocked the first kick, ducked the second and threw a punch and backhand   
combo, but was herself blocked. The figure in the black suit then kicked Fara in the   
side while her guard was down, hitting her repeatedly in the ribs. She then felt   
something crack and a grinding pain shot through her chest.   
  
Fuelled by a wave of pain and rage, Fara kneed her opponent sharply in the groin,   
knocking him back a few steps with a loud yelping cry. Grabbing the opportunity, she   
quickly stooped low and retrieved her rifle, bringing it to bear on her stricken   
assailant.   
  
But before she could pull the trigger, the attacker drew a pair of swords. They were   
similar to one another but different. Both swords were light broad swords with gold   
handles and hilts, but one blade had blue tint to it, the other a coppery red. Moving   
with the same blurring speed, he swiped with red sword first, biting into the barrel of   
Fara's rifle.   
  
Then without even breaking stride, he the swung the blue blade, smacking her in the   
side of the head with the flat of the blade, knocking her to the ground, almost fainting.   
As Fara hit the ground, the pain in her chest ran together with the pain in her head like   
melted wax. Her vision faded, as she watch the stranger sheath both swords on his   
back and limp over to her. As the world slipped away from her, she noticed his bright   
shining blue eyes behind the visor of his helmet. "Sorry, nothing personal," He said in   
a calm, dispassionate voice. Then she fell unconscious.  
  
  
Fox stumbled over a log and landed flat on his face in the mud. Just how the hell had   
he gotten into this mess. He was a pilot, the best damn pilot at the academy and here   
he was slinking through the jungle like some kind of little bug. This was not for him;   
this was not what he was good at.   
  
Pushing himself up off the ground and wiping some of the muck off of his face, he let   
loose a barrage of swearing that would redden the ears of even a veteran marine.   
Rearing up onto his knees, he balled up his fists and shook them wildly at the sky,   
screaming, "What the hell am I doing here? Whichsonof a bitch! is responsible for   
this? Why can't the sun just spontaneously destabilise so I can die right now in a   
searing blast of plasma?"  
  
Full of rage, Fox beat his fist against the log he had tripped over, as if beating the log   
to within an inch of its life would make every thing go his way. After five minutes of   
hitting the wood, Fox realised the futility of his actions and just settled back for a   
moment.  
  
His hand throbbed and ached. Examining it closely, He hoped he hadn't broken his   
hand. Aside from affecting his performance, it would be embarrassing enough to have   
to explain how he injured himself having a tantrum. His hand wasn't broken, but it   
was bruised and covered with mud and lichen from the log. In amongst the black and   
green sludge covering his hand, Fox could make out a small spot of red on his palm.  
  
"Oh shit, I must have cut myself on thorn or something. I really hope none of this   
gakk got into it," He thought to himself. He shifted himself to get a better look, but as   
his hand moved, the red dot stayed in place. Waving his hand from side to side a   
couple of times, the dot still remained in place.   
  
Suddenly realisation and horror hit him like a ten-ton cement lorry. Fox hurled   
himself to one side as two shots tore through the greenery and blasted the log he had   
been wailing on in to a thousand little bits of wood. Quickly regaining his footing, he   
followed the red-dot laser back to its source. Firing an assault flare from his rifle's   
under-slung grenade launcher, he averted his eyes for a moment as the powerful   
electromagnetic and photon charge detonated with a blinding flash.   
  
Before the dazzle from the assault flare had faded, Fox sprinted forward, rifle poised   
and teeth bared. He hated the jungle and he despised infantry work, but there was way   
no way in hell he was dying a ground-pounder. Catching sight of the barrel of a long-  
rifle, he pulled the trigger of his own assault rifle and emptied the full clip at it.  
  
Dropping the clip out of the magazine port just behind the handgrip, he stalked   
forward to make sure he'd bagged his sniper. Pushing aside a branch with his rifle, he   
was shocked to find just a long-rifle propped up on some rocks with squeeze trigger   
attached to the lock. "A decoy. It's a goddamned decoy," Fox said out loud to himself.   
  
Seconds later, a great black shape dropped out of a nearby tree, in flurry of movement   
Fox was knocked to the ground. Something flashed, like fire reflecting on steel and   
something sharp tore through Fox's leg. Screaming in pain, he looked down to see   
four feet of shining blue steel skewering his leg, pinning him the forest floor.   
  
Blood seeped like dark, red wine from Fox's leg. It soaked into his muddy fatigues   
and trickled away into the soil. He could see his own face, twisted up in a grimace of   
pain, reflected in the sword's keen blade.   
  
Looking up, Fox saw his attacker. Behind the visor of the matt-black helmet of his   
stealth suit, his eyes seemed to burn like blue fire. He was canine, of that Fox was   
sure, but that was all he could tell. The attacker stood with his weight on the pommel   
on the sword he had through Fox's leg, preventing him moving without causing   
further injury.   
  
"You and your team are now dead. I suggest you evacuate the engagement area and   
report back to Colonel Wren for debriefing," The canine said, cold as before. Pulling   
his sword out of Fox's leg quickly and cleanly, he then tossed Fox a med-kit. Turning   
away and recalibrating his thermoptic camouflage, he was once again just a blur of   
motion in the jungle.   
  
"The exercise is over mister McCloud. You've lost," Came his voice as he departed.   
He wasn't taunting Fox, he was simply stating a fact.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued…   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Rematch

Chapter-2  
  
It had been about a week since the inter-academy war games on Zoness but Fara's ribs   
ached and her head still throbbed from the blow she'd received from the blue-eyed   
swordsman who ambushed her. The exercise had been an unmitigated disaster when   
every other recon team had been ambushed and wiped out just like hers had.   
In a matter of hours the Cornerian forces had been outflanked and destroyed with   
alarming speed and ferocity. Who ever had been leading the assault, had clearly been   
a gifted commander and skilled tactician.   
  
The halls of the Cornerian military academy were buzzing with rumours that the   
Tallius academy forces had won due to a battle plan devised by a single student. Of   
course there was nothing to back this up, but still the rumours persisted. Dropping off   
her books in her locker, Fara turned to her two best friends Kat Munroe and Aiko   
Motoshiro.  
  
Aiko was a border collie who had dark sandy coloured fur, long matching hair, white   
fur on her muzzle and paws with lighter orange patches under her deep brown eyes.   
Personality wise however, she was best described as blond, but in a scary kind of way.   
It wasn't really for anything she did, but rather the "happy, happy, joy, joy way in   
which she would snap the practice droid's necks like dry twigs and then drop the   
bodies because they had stopped making entertaining noises. She was famous across   
the academy for being able to colour coordinate her accessories with oxygenated   
blood.   
To that end she wore a set of silver hair clips and a sunset pink neckerchief with her   
dark blue academy uniform jacket and fatigues. Fara and Kat wore the same uniform   
but unlike Aiko, they didn't accessorize.  
  
"You look down. I know it was a pretty big thing, what with your team being one of   
the first to picked off and all, but you've got to get over this kind of thing sugar.   
You've got the rest of semester to worry about," Kat said, watching her friend's look   
of concern. "Yeah, like its not as if there's some mad scientist out there who gonna   
declare war on us or something," Aiko added chirpily.   
  
Despite the Bellaire accent and blond personality, Aiko was a lot smarter than she   
appeared. She already excelled in ground combat and piloting as well as having high   
degree of skill in chemistry. She made her own hair-care and beauty products, which   
in a pinch could also be used as high power explosives. It had also been rumoured that   
the Cornerian Intelligence Agency were already interested in her as a "Special Ops"   
agent.  
  
"Its not the ambush that I'm thinking about. It's that guy that ambushed us. I can't get   
him out of my head," Fara replied. Ever since her fight with the mysterious canine   
commando, she couldn't stop thinking about his bright burning blue eyes. They had   
blazed like blue flames in her mind, not dimming with time. They were fresh in her   
mind now as they were when they had bugged out after she kicked him in the balls.   
  
"Hmmm, sounds personal to me," Kat chipped in smiling. Aiko just looked confused   
for a moment and said, "Huh? So, like is this a "We must go shopping immediately,   
I'm in love" kind of thing?" Kat just looked at her and said, "Uh, Aiko, I think this is   
more of a raging need for revenge kind of thing. Besides, Fara's got Fox." Aiko   
smiled in comprehension and said, "Oh, I see. Well Fara? If you don't want this guy,   
can I have him?" In addition to being blond and semi-psychotic, Aiko was also a boy   
crazy flirt.  
  
"Two of your last boyfriends ended up in the infirmary after your first date didn't   
they?" Fara asked, grinning evilly. "Yeah, well how was I supposed to know that their   
rib cages were so fragile," Aiko replied, giving the dismayed-blond-whimper. It was   
theorised that if Aiko's dismayed-blond-whimper were passed through a high-  
powered microphone, it would shatter bones at fifty yards. They weren't really sure   
what would happen if they tried it with her happy-blond-squeal, but it would probably   
fall under Beta Aqaulea convention on weapons of mass destruction.  
  
Kat just smiled at Aiko and said, "Don't fret hon, there's plenty of fish in the sea.   
Besides, we've got close combat class next. That always cheers you up." Aiko's ears   
suddenly pricked up and her eyes lit up. Everyone in the corridor quickly covered   
their ears and hit the deck as she let loose the dreaded happy-blond-squeal. As the   
high-pitched noise subsided a dark-furred ermine, one of the combat engineering   
students walked past on his way to the infirmary, his glasses shattered and his ears   
bleeding.   
  
"We really ought to issue a five minute warning to clear the room before we do that,"   
Fara said, picking herself off the floor and wondering if that ermine would get his   
hearing back in time for the midterms. Aiko just hopped up and down with a frankly   
quite frighteningly happy look on her face, normally reserved for when a practice   
android made a particularly entertaining noise as it broke in half.   
  
  
  
The gym was about fifty meters long and thirty wide. At one end was the weight   
training and gymnastic equipment, at the other end was the sparring area with fall   
mats, kicking bags and storage crates for the practice droids.  
  
Practice droids were generically anthropomorphic robots, designed to mimic a living   
opponent of various species in every way when it came to their movements, athletic   
prowess and most of all when they broke. They were built with synthetic muscles on a   
ceramic skeleton based on real bone and would crack just like real bones.   
They could move and fight just like a real live enemy. But the blank featureless skins   
could be highly disturbing to look at, like something half-finished, a person without   
fur or a face.  
  
Fara's cadet company was assembled and warming up with stretches as well as a few   
light aerobics. For close combat, the cadets wore more casual clothing than their   
uniforms such as fatigues and vest. Aiko on the other hand wore a pair of pink shorts   
the same shade as her neckerchief and a matching crop-top and high-heeled sparkly   
go-go boots.   
  
Despite the injuries sustained during the war games on Zoness, Fox, Fara and the   
other cadets were still in full physical training. At the academy, they believed that an   
injury meant a change in training rather than a break in it.  
  
Sergeant Herrman, a brawny German shepherd with a huge broad back and a large   
raking scar across the left hand side of his face strode in and barked out orders, "TEN   
HUT. Alright, lets get started, shall ve?" He shouted as the cadets snapped to   
attention. Producing a data-pad from behind his back, he read out the role call,   
checking off each student in turn, "Denton, Phoenix, Grey, Sorenson, White,   
McCloud, Munroe, MOTOSHIRO?" Double taking as he looked up and saw Aiko   
grinning at him. Calmly Herrman put down the pad and barked, "MEDICS."  
  
Almost immediately, a first aid team jogged in and got set up for the almost inevitable   
injuries that seemed to occur around Aiko during sparring (that she was usually   
responsible for). "Alright, today ve vill begin with the practice droids to varm up vith   
and then ve shall be moving on to sparring vith each other. According to the reports,   
almost all of you vere engaged and eliminated in hand to hand combat, so that vill be   
our emphasis for today's session," The sergeant yelled, extra emphasis added by his   
thick German accent.  
  
A practice droid was released from its storage crate, one for each cadet. They moved   
with a stiff, almost rigid posture but then fell into a combat stance as they reached   
their assigned cadet. Herrman operated a small handheld control pad that adjusted the   
droid's skill level, fighting style and physical ability to suit each individual student.   
Generally the students already possessed some level of training in various martial arts;   
this class was more about honing those skills and how to use them most effectively.  
  
"You may begin," Herrman shouted, activating the droids fully. Instantly, the droids   
exploded into action, automatically taking the offensive. As her droid sprung forward,   
Fara also took the offensive. The droid's limited AI was incapable of anticipating   
anything but a logical strategy and took a few seconds to reset itself and react, by that   
time of course Fara kicked it in the gut and pushed herself up on its pelvis, driving her   
knee into it's face.   
  
Although it was knocked sprawling to the ground, the droid quickly recovered and   
sprung up onto its feet, immediately lashing out and hitting Fara in the side of the   
muzzle, spinning her around like a top. Stunned for a moment, Fara then cried out in   
surprise and pain as the sparring robot hammer punched her in the small of her back.   
As she fell to her knees, out of the corner of her eye Fara could see it sweeping its leg   
up to finish her with an axe kick to the back. Reacting quickly, she back kicked the   
droid in the ankle with an audible crack of bones. The droid fell soundlessly to the   
gym floor. As it fell Fara caught its neck between her legs and slammed it down with   
all her strength, snapping its neck like a twig "killing" it instantly.   
  
"Excellent Phoenix, I'm glad to see that you have improved since our last class,"   
Herrman called out from across the gym. Fox on the other hand was not doing so well   
against his practice droid. His leg was still bound up and hadn't fully healed from   
having been skewered by a sword yet. The droid was taking full advantage of this   
fact, kicking him in the side of his leg, dropping him to the mat in pain. As Fox hit the   
mat for the fifth time, Sergeant Herrman deactivated the practice droid and shouted,   
"McCloud, what are you doing? You are better than this, I have seen you do better."  
  
"It's not my fault sir," Fox replied as he stood up, sore and bruised. "My right leg is   
still injured from the exercise last week," He said, slightly pleadingly. The sergeant   
was having none of it, "That is a poor excuse for a poor performance. Your right leg   
may be injured but there is nothing-wrong vith your left leg. Now pull yourself   
together and…" The sergeant was interrupted as a new cadet entered the gym.   
  
He was a canine, but what species Fox couldn't be sure. He had thick silvery fur and a   
bushy tail that made Fox think that he may have been an arctic fox at first. But he was   
too solidly built to be a fox; his ears were smaller than a fox's and his muzzle was   
larger and more wolf-like. He was wearing a uniform, which consisted of a pair of   
black fatigues, a flowing long black coat, a black collarless shirt and a pair of shiny   
black jackboots with silver buckles on the straps. On the lapel of his coat, a small   
crest of a silver sword with ivory wings on a circle of gold, shone like a star against   
the blackness of his uniform.  
  
As he walked across to the sergeant, Fox also notice that he walked with a slight limp,   
as if he had recently pulled a muscle. Even so, he carried himself with an air of quiet   
confidence. And there was a slight sense of aloofness in his manner, but not   
arrogance. He didn't think he was better than the other cadets, he knew he was better.   
Every one in the gym stopped what they were doing and an odd hush fell over the   
entire hall. Only the click of the newcomer's finely polished jackboots broke the   
silence as he walked across and handed sergeant Herrman a data-pad and saluted   
smartly, not saying a word.  
  
Accepting the data-pad, Herrman read it and then boomed out loud, "Hmmm, cadet   
Edward Weldon is it? What happened to your leg?" The cadet answered immediately   
in a clear, measured tone of voice, "Yes sir, that is correct. And my limp is the result   
of an injury sustained during the inter-academy war games last week sir, but nothing   
serious," He responded curtly. His accent sounded Fortunian, but the soothing and   
melodious voice that typified the ice world's inhabitants had a cool and ever so   
slightly unnerving undertone to it, like a dagger wrapped in a silk handkerchief.  
  
"In that case, fall in with your class mates and we will continue," The sergeant   
boomed. Then without hesitation, the new cadet threw off his coat and shirt. Stripped   
down to the waist, it was clear that he was in top physical condition. He was about   
Fox's height and although he was lean, he was also well muscled. Taking up his   
position with the other cadets, cadet Weldon seemed even more imposing in just his   
fatigues and jackboots than he did in full uniform.  
  
"This is cadet Edward Weldon. He is joining this cadet company as part of the cadet   
exchange program from the Tallius academy on Macbeth. Although he may wear the   
uniform of our rivals, for now at least he is a student like you and will be treated as   
such," Sergeant Herrman announced. As he was speaking, the sergeant held the   
practice droid controller behind his back and activated the droids nearest to Weldon.  
  
Instantly the first droid charged Weldon from behind and launched itself at him.   
However, the young canine simply turned and caught the droid with a kick to the face.   
Grabbing its forearm as it fell, he rammed it down into his knee, snapping its spine.   
The second droid then came at him from the side, but he dealt with this one just as   
easily. As the droid lashed out with a front kick aimed at his chest, he nimbly dodged   
to one side and then dodged in towards his opponent. Suddenly with a deep snarl, he   
latched his powerful jaws around the droids neck and tore out its throat with his sharp   
white fangs.  
  
The dark blue fluid that passed for simulated blood in the practice droids, covered   
Weldon's jaws and upper torso. Every cadet in the gym stood open mouthed at the   
Tallius cadet's ferocity and the savagery with which he finished off his second   
opponent. All that is except for Aiko who grinned gleefully at having someone else   
who used her fighting style. Sergeant Herrman also seemed to be impressed.   
  
Aiko (who was also covered in the blue fluid) turned to her classmates and said, "See,   
I told you that was a great trick. Except that stuff is so hard to get out of silks and it's   
so high in calories. They should fill these things with diet Coke, because its better for   
my figure and I think the other stuff is dying my teeth blue as well," Pointing to her   
own equally impressive fangs. Her classmates cringed away in fear. As frightening as   
Aiko seemed normally, the thought of her on caffeine was simply a terrifying concept.   
All across the academy, the faculty were trying to limit the various sources of caffeine   
to an absolute minimum to try and reduce the number of Aiko related injuries.   
  
Tossing Weldon a towel, He said, "Very good cadet, very impressive indeed. I see   
that they obviously use that training technique on Macbeth as well. But let us see how   
good you are against a living opponent." Looking about the gym for a suitable   
candidate as Weldon wiped himself clean and made for the main sparring ring. Aiko   
jumped up and down excitedly with her hand raised going, "Oh, oh me sir, pick me,"   
Desperate to face off against Weldon, whom she had decided was a kindred spirit.   
  
The sergeant made his decision and his gaze came to rest on Fara. "Phoenix, front and   
centre," The huge Alsatian barked. Fara took a moment to respond, still a little   
spooked by the silver furred killer's viciousness. It took a lot to intimidate Fara, but   
she was intimidated for only a few moments and she quickly jogged over to the centre   
of the gym where Weldon was already waiting for her.   
  
The two combatants bowed to one another and limbered up. It seemed that they were   
doing this to intimidate each other as much as to prepare. As she fell into stance, Fara   
sized her opponent up. "Alright, he's probably stronger than me, but that injury   
should slow him down giving me the advantage," She thought to herself. Weldon then   
took up his own fighting stance and locked his eyes with Fara's. His eyes were bright   
blue and seemed to blaze in his sockets like tiny orbs of frozen fire.  
  
Fara was taken aback for a second by the intensity of those eyes; it felt for a moment   
as if she had seen them before somewhere. But then she just shook it off and focused.   
"The match will be decided by best of three falls. Begin," Sergeant Herrman barked   
loudly. No sooner had the match started, Weldon lashed out and hit Fara in the side   
with a powerful hook punch. She was struck hard right where her ribs still ached   
having just recently healed after her fight with the unknown sniper on Zoness. As the   
pain shot through her side, Weldon darted forward and hooked his leg around Fara's.   
He then pushed and tripped her up over his leg, throwing her to the mat heavily. The   
breath was knocked out of her lungs as she hit the ground hard. She lay there for a   
moment slightly dazed. Then to her surprise, her opponent held out his hand and   
helped her up.   
  
"Thank you," She said as she regained her feet. But Weldon said nothing; he just   
stood back and fell into stance again. If anything, his eyes burned even colder. Fara   
just fell into stance as well. Just as fast as his first attack, Weldon lashed out again.   
This time however, Fara was ready. As the larger canine kicked out aiming for her   
head, Fara dodged to the side and slung in low. She elbowed him in the back   
knocking him forward a few steps, but he maintained his balance. Not letting up, she   
kicked him across the face as he turned round and followed up with a flying spinkick   
that struck him hard across the face. Weldon was thrown spinning for several feet   
before landing on the mat with a loud thud that reverberated through the gym.  
  
Just as Weldon had helped her up, Fara offered a paw to him. The look on his face   
was not one of anger as he stood up and retook his position, but one of recognition of   
their own mutual mistakes. She had underestimated his speed and he had   
underestimated her power and tenacity. It was a mistake both of them had learned.   
The final round would be hard fought and vicious. Across the gym, Fox stood open   
mouthed at the newcomer's performance. "How could he move like that? I thought   
that he was injured, but he's moving like there's no injury at all," He thought to   
himself. Then he noticed the grimace on Weldon's face. He was hiding it, but Fox   
could see that Weldon was in pain. His every movement had been agony, but he had   
suppressed it and fought on regardless of his pain. Try as he might, Fox just couldn't   
think of any reason why someone would needlessly put them selves through that kind   
of punishment.  
  
With a loud shout Fara charged, taking the offensive this time. She punched at   
Weldon's face, but he cross-blocked her attack and swept his leg round to knock her   
legs out from under her. His kick was foiled when she jumped over his sweep, mantis   
kicking him in the chest and kicking back a step or two. In return, he hit her with a   
double spring kick as she landed, hitting her in the stomach and face. The kick to the   
face made her lip bleed and threw her backwards. But Fara skilfully recovered,   
landing on her hands and springing up before she hit the mat. As she gracefully   
landed on her feet, he sprang forward into a front kick intended to knock her over   
again. In stead she nimbly dodged to one side, catching his leg and then head butting   
him. Fara's head-butt hit him hard on the side of the muzzle, painting the side of his   
face red. In response, he hit her again in the ribs as she still held on to his leg. The   
short, sharp pain to her ribs made her release his leg as the shock ran through her   
torso.   
  
With his leg free, he went on the offensive again, with a two-punch and backhand   
combo. Fara blocked the first punch, but was hit by the second and then spun round   
by the backhand. Using the force of the backhand's impact, she swung her leg out in a   
scything roundhouse kick that struck him squarely across the face and spun him in   
turn. Not giving him a chance to recover, she hit him in the back knocking Weldon to   
his knees.   
  
The match wouldn't end until his whole body hit the mat, so Fara prepared to finish   
him off. But as she approached to kick him over, he snarled out loudly and spun   
round. Again and again he hit Fara in the ribs and then stood up and hit across the face   
twice with sidekicks that drew fresh blood from her right cheek, followed by an   
uppercut to the gut that doubled her over. Now it was his turn to finish her off but   
instead, she stood up strait again and kicked Weldon in the gut, back flipping off and   
giving him a black eye as she kneed him in the face. He returned her kick with a hand   
edge blow to the side of the neck. Both of them bared their teeth and snarled, but   
suddenly a loud German voice boomed across the gym.  
  
"That's enough, both of you. Cadet Phoenix, cadet Weldon, stand down," The   
sergeant shouted. Both Fara and Weldon were panting and gasping for breath, on the   
verge of collapse. The two of them were bruised and bleeding and it looked like   
neither one of them would have been willing to back down had the sergeant not   
intervened. "The two of you get checked out by the medics and then hit the showers. I   
think you've earned it," He continued. With a nod and a salute, both Weldon and Fara   
made their way to the locker rooms and the first aid staff there.   
  
Even after his fight and the myriad injuries, Weldon's silver fur (stained as it was by   
both his own blood and that of the practice droids) and stance still maintained their   
lustre and dignity as he picked up his shirt and coat on his way out. Watching him,   
Fox turned to Bill and said, "I'm not sure, but I think that guy would have fought to   
the death if to win," A slight tremor was audible in his voice. Bill just looked at him   
and replied, "Dude, you saw Fara. I think they would have both fought to the death!"  
  
Meanwhile, out of sight from his new classmates Weldon looked about him to make   
sure there was absolutely no one around. Satisfied that he was alone, he let his   
seemingly regal composure go and fell to the ground, growling in pain. He almost   
passed out as the agony from his previous injury mingled with the fresh ones he had   
just received. He'd underestimated Fara out there just as he had when they had fought   
on Zoness. He should have learned that lesson the first time and now he was paying   
the price of that.  
  
To be continued… 


	4. Hybrid Freak!

Chapter 3  
  
Fox's fighter screamed through the gap between the asteroids as they clashed   
together. The other three Arwings that comprised Alpha wing formed up, weapons   
primed and pilots hepped up for action. "Stay frosty people, they're out here some   
where," Fox said, he was far more confident this time. He was in the cockpit; his   
battleground of choice and no one was going to beat him this time.   
  
"Don't get too cocky Fox. The rocks are interfering with my active sensors. I can't   
scan more than a couple of hundred metres in any direction with any degree of   
certainty," Fara called over from Alpha two. "Then they won't be able to detect us   
either; every body keep your eyes open and don't get separated. They'll try to pick off   
stragglers," Fox returned.  
  
Space was deathly quiet as the asteroids rolled. Occasionally two asteroids would   
collide, breaking off chunks. Most were just small gravel chips that simply bounced   
harmlessly off the Arwing's shield reinforced hull. Others were bigger than large cars;   
the other pilots dodged these quickly. Fox on the other hand seemed to enjoy tempting   
fate by playing chicken with them, not turning until the last possible second and then   
dodging past on full burn. But even these added to the deafening silence as the rocks   
collided noiselessly in the frozen vacuum.  
  
"Alpha one, I have some thing here. Its an intermittent signal…I can't pin it down,"   
Alpha four called. "What? Where is he? I don't see anything," Fox replied hurriedly.   
"At last some action," He thought. "The signals all over the place…it might just be   
asteroid interference…"   
  
Alpha four was suddenly blown out of the stars as a fighter pounced out from a   
crevice in one of the larger asteroids and blasted him. The attacker trailed flames for a   
few seconds as he shot through Alpha four's fireball. "DAMMIT! YOU'RE MINE!"   
Fox shouted as he hit full afterburner and chased after the fighter into the darkness.   
"FOX, WAIT…" Fara shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the static from the   
rocks.   
  
The fighter wasn't a design Fox was familiar with, the basic hull layout was similar to   
an Arwing with a tapering stiletto shaped fuselage, but the fuselage was longer and   
the wings were forward swept with guns slung under the wingtips. The fighter was   
more like a flying dagger in appearance. It was jinking and dodging in and out of the   
asteroids, Fox was pushing his Arwing to the limit to keep up.   
  
"C'mon, c'mon…" He growled as his targeting computer struggled to get a lock. The   
red lock-on box swung wildly, trying to catch up with the darting fighter as it flew   
behind another asteroid. Snarling, Fox dived through a hole in one of the asteroids and   
shot out the other side. Catching the fighter in his crosshairs, the lock-on tone   
sounded. He grinned and his finger tightened on the trigger. "Goodbye," He hissed.   
  
Suddenly, an explosion tore off his port wing. His ship spun violently as its   
gyroscopes and manoeuvring thrusters malfunctioned, throwing him around the   
cockpit like a rag doll. Fox wrestled with the controls, bringing his Arwing under   
control. His fighter came to face the ship that had ambushed him while he had been   
focused on the decoy. Staring across at the fighter's cockpit as it hovered there, he   
could just imagine those bright blue eyes and glinting white teeth, grinning back at   
him. In the last few seconds he had left, Fox gave his opponent the finger as one last   
gesture of defiance.   
  
His opponent's cannons blazed and Fox's canopy flashed red. Everything went black   
for a few moments before the canopy on the sim-unit lifted and the computer chimed   
"Simulation over, please report for debriefing." Fox pounded the console in front of   
him. Cadet Weldon strode away from his sim-unit quietly and confidently. He had lost   
the limp he had when he had arrived at the academy a week ago, but he still had med-  
patches on his muzzle from his fight with Fara. But he wasn't grinning as Fox had   
expected, instead he was as quiet and impassive as ever.   
  
It infuriated Fox even more that he could be so emotionless about beating him. It   
couldn't be that easy…it just couldn't. "I'm the best damn pilot here. HOW DID HE   
BEAT ME FOR CHRIST'S SAKE?" He shouted at himself, pounding the console   
again. "Divide and conquer Fox…" A voice said from behind. Fox spun and saw Fara   
stood next to his sim-unit, helmet in hand and an annoyed look on her face. "He got   
you to chase after his wingman, then he and the rest of his wing jumped me and Alpha   
three. Once he dealt with us, he came after you. Divide and conquer, one of the oldest   
tricks in the book and you fell for it," She said and walked away quickly.   
  
Fox jumped from the cockpit and ran after Weldon. Fox grabbed Weldon by sleeve of   
his long black coat and swung him against a nearby wall. "WHAT THE HELL IS   
YOUR PROBLEM?" He shouted, teeth bared and ears flattened against his skull.   
"Excuse me? Don't you mean what is your problem Mr McCloud?" Weldon replied.   
However threatening Fox was, Weldon was absolutely calm. "You think you're SO   
great don't you. You come on down here with your shiny boots and 'I'm better than   
you are' attitude, just to make me look stupid," Fox snarled. "No Mr McCloud, you're   
doing that all by yourself," Weldon replied, his sharp white fangs showing ever so   
slightly.  
  
"WHY YOU…" Fox balled up a fist and lashed out at Weldon. The white furred   
canine caught his fist and squeezed on a pressure point between Fox's knuckles.   
There was a low cracking sound as a grinding pain shot through Fox's hand and up   
his arm. He was forced down onto his knees as Weldon pushed him back in agony.   
Weldon just stood over him with a vicious growl. "You're right Mr McCloud, I am   
better than you are and there's a reason for that. When you've figured that reason out   
we'll be equals, but for now your are still beneath my time." With that, Weldon   
kicked Fox onto his back and walked away, the coat adding menace to his   
movements. Fox just lay there for a moment or two, cradling his fist in pain. If he had   
wanted to, Weldon could have just killed Fox right then and there. Fox didn't doubt   
that, what Fox doubted was would Weldon have cared.  
  
  
  
"This worries me Mr Weldon," Dr Heller said, as she checked over Edward's growing   
collection of cuts and bruises. Weldon was sat on an examination table, stripped down   
to the waist. Dr Heller was a coyote in her early thirties, with a kind and motherly   
disposition.   
  
"So long as there's nothing serious, I don't really see what the fuss is about," Weldon   
replied as the doctor ran her hands over his torso to double check that nothing was   
broken. In the short time he had been at the Cornerian military academy, he had been   
sent to see her almost daily. "The fuss Mr Weldon, is that if you keep pushing   
yourself like this, soon it may become something serious," She replied, deeply   
concerned by Weldon's apparent lack of concern for his own safety. Weldon just sat   
quietly for a moment.  
  
Dr Heller then picked up a data-pad that had been sitting on the counter and said,   
"There are a couple of things I need to discuss with you…and do remember, any thing   
said here is in the strictest confidence." Edward had an apprehensive look on his face,   
like something he had wanted to avoid had just come up. "On your bio, it says that   
you are a wolf…but…I have noticed a number of discrepancies in your skeletal   
structure and anatomy that would suggest otherwise…I'm going to be as frank as   
possible here. Are you…are you a…"   
  
"A hybrid? Yes, I am. Can I go now?" Edward snapped. It was obvious that the   
subject of his heritage made him uncomfortable. Dr Heller shifted, regretful to have   
brought up what was clearly a sensitive subject for the cadet. "I'm sorry Mr Weldon,   
but this is important. Your mother Marion Weldon is a wolf, yes?" She said, careful   
not to push him too much. "Yes, she's the doctor at Farpoint colony where I grew up,"   
He replied. "I see. And your father?" At this Weldon shifted again. This was   
definitely a sore spot for him.  
  
"What does that have to do with anything? You know now that I'm a hybrid freak.   
What does it matter who my father was?" He snapped. "It matters Mr Weldon because   
I am the chief medical officer for this academy and there for I am responsible for the   
well being of every cadet here, including you. If you keep pushing yourself the way   
you have recently, then it's only a matter of time before you get seriously hurt. And   
when that happens, this could be critical. That's why it matter's who you father was,   
that's what it has to do with anything," She snapped back, but underneath she truly   
regretted having to raise her voice to him, especially on such a sensitive matter.  
  
"Then I'll just have to be careful not to get seriously hurt, won't I?" He said as he   
stood up and grabbed his shirt and coat, pulling them on as he walked away. There   
was a cold look in his eyes, their ice blue colour only adding to their coldness. "Wait,   
Mr Weldon I'm sorry if I pried too far. Mr Weldon please…" The doctor called after   
him. Edward just walked away without a word, not even looking back.   
  
  
  
"He crushed you're hand? That is so cool!" Aiko said, chipper and blond as ever.   
"Oh, I'm glad you find it entertaining. I had to explain to Dr Heller how I cracked all   
the bones in my right hand in a way that doesn't make me look like a complete wuss,"   
Fox replied, still cradling his bandaged hand and still feeling nauseous from the bone   
setting drugs he'd been given.   
  
"Well what did you expect Fox? He's three times stronger than you are. You try to   
take him on in a fist fight and he'll wipe the deck with you," Fara chipped in. The   
three of them were sat at a table in the commissary. Kat and Bill had yet to arrive so   
they were just sat talking. "Okay, can we have a conversation where you don't bring   
him into it? Not a day has gone by since he came that you haven't mentioned him in   
a conversation. Usually I might add, to remind me of how much better he is compared   
to me. Well so what if he's stronger than me, or smarter. I'm a better pilot; he had to   
ambush me to beat me. He couldn't take me on in a strait dogfight, so he had to lay a   
trap for me," Fox growled back, banging his good hand on the table.  
  
"Of course he did. He knows that you're a better pilot, so he forced you to fight him   
on his terms. That is why he's better than you Fox. He knows his own strengths and   
how to exploit your weaknesses," Fara snapped back at him. Fox just stood up   
abruptly and said, "I must have sat at the wrong table then, I must have missed the   
sign saying 'Edward Weldon groupie table'. If you're so in love with this guy, then   
marry him for all I care. BUT HE IS NOT BEATING ME!!!" Fox then stormed away,   
an almost tangible aura of rage surrounding him.  
  
"God, he can be so pig-headed sometimes," Fara said as she watched Fox leave. "But   
he does have a point though," Aiko chipped in. "Its called knowing you're enemy   
Aiko. There is definitely no way in hell he's going to be me as well," She replied.   
"Not that, I mean about marrying him. Because you do talk about him a lot and he   
really, really cute," Aiko added. "AIKO, I am not, I repeat NOT that obsessed with   
him," Fara replied, slightly exasperated. "Oh, well then can I have him if you don't   
want him," Aiko said, grinning madly.  
  
  
To Be Continued… 


End file.
